Fruit brushing machine



May 22, 1945. s` D|LLER 2,376,587

FRUIT BRUSHING MACHINE Filed Deo. 2, 1942 2 sheets-sheet 1 May 22,1945. 5 D|LLE R 1 2,376,587

FRUIT BRUSH-ING' MACHINE Filed Dec. 2, 1942 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented May 1945 ',Thifsinventlonf relates; to brushmg machines,` and more particularly to machines for; cleaning dirt and spray'residues from fruit,4 such as'apples and oranges, and for t removing. the fur from peaches, to izrnprovey its apparance andlncrease itssaleabinty, f, Y n

` An important objectof lthe invention ls to-provide a brushingrmachine ofvthegabove character in which the brushes: Aare so driven as tof more eil'ectlvely eleanforl polish the fruitwi-f 'Another objectroffthe invention isutoaprovl e a brushingv machine of vthe abovecharacter com; prising a f jpair.: of Y, sb'aced-apuartk rows v; ofrotary brushesY between .whichxthe fruit :to: be cleaned passes; and n improved meansl fori' adjusting the` space"btween`theows ofKbrushes to correspond tofdlrferent sizes cr freie" v Other objects da vani-,ages will.beiapparent-` from the `following"detailedxiescriptionqof a pre-- ferred Yembodiment ofthe invention;L reference@ being hadto he annexed drawing in.` which: s,

' Figure 1 a sidevie'wof aafruitbrushingandgor n Y t Y lfriseup rffznvcinngssl" (ci. 146;.2om` t i i zo railSlrcOmpanion to 4o.l n i MsiQn. S 1011617120 thencefyaround;thengearal1 means 'l'n'ot Shown; delixrsizlthffreuc `Ff;- tefbe The frameis @tbox-shaped skeletonfconstruction comprising upright and horizontal members la and.v Ib," respectively. Upon oppositesidesl of the frame, secured4 to and extending lengthwise between theuprights.` la; are side rails'l.` 1 Shafts l0, veach carrying` a rotary brush 2; extend crosswise ofthe frame vand have their ends rotatably supported in the, sicle rails -9, the: shaftsvbeing arranged inlupwardly `stepped relation so as to impart-a slight upward :inclination tothe course of the brushes from the forwardto `the rearends ofthe1 machine.: These shafts atfoneend project beyond the,` outerface7 of'a siderail and have secured thereon sprocketsfl l; *Aniinclined apron 4 4a is fastened; to the frame "in advance' "of the lowerirow ofbrushesto direct-'the fruit de` liveredrby, he.: roller belt. into the. space between theupperand lower rows x'ufv-bruslfies. i" Insidethe, frame; is suspen'dedfa*palrfeofsideT and-located-fabovehthe sidel rails; 9v, and fthese side arails: rotatably support the ends oa seriesof shafts M carrying vthemper` row; oilfbrushesg `il` arranged in laterally offset rela:- tionv tothevlowerubrushesl. Thefsllafts I4V at one emi Drojectoutwardly beyond aside rail--l3 and theprenier;tingen dsk are provided with sprockets" I5`lyirl1gf`intheVl sameyerticatplane with thel sprockets I," `tn/endless chainJ- IZ winds over al lpulley l 6 rotatably mounted on the frame adja-l zf; cent the -`rear t end ofV` the machine, fthe arrange-u' nientjbeingfsuh that;V the` `chain extends tiny two opposed/parallel one ,run being tangentto f the. Y

theforward 1.endet.the frame; andithence downwl y l"around a, gear` l1 mountedV on shaft I8 carrying allarge drivingpulley .lik4 The other-run f ofr Vl'the chain extends,'downvtardlylfover-favteni brushes Tema Ii'elllile.: as-awill ,latein be'v Lex Ihefl-Sear; ISI isezdriven byll kthe -`motor f solas to y cause the-chainato travel in the fdireeti'onsjindi l Y frowof brushes.; The uppers.

run extends over an idler pulley I6, located .at

the lower and upper rows of brushes 2 and 3. with the exception of the forward sprocket Ila on the shaft I4a carrying the leading brush 3a of the upper row of brushes. The sprockets I5 and I5a and their brushes are of somewhat larger diameter than the sprockets II and their brushes so that the upper row of brushes rotate at a slower speed than the lower row of brushes. The chain I2 is trained upwardly from the ttom of the forward sprocket Il, over the top f sprocket I5a, and thence downwardly around the idler I5, and this causes the brush 3a associated with sprocket I5a to turn counterclockwise and in a reverse direction with respect tothe other brushes. A bar 24 extends crosswise between the side rails I3 at an elevation slightly below a plane including the axes of the shaft I4a and an adjacent 'shaft I4, this bar serving to prevent the fruit from being lifted lout of the machine by the opposltely rotating brushes 3 and 3a.

The side rails I3 are suspended for vertical adjustment from two pairs of chain sections 25 and 25a connected at their lower ends to angle irons 26 extending crosswise between the rails at opposite ends thereof. The pair of chain sections 25 supporting the forward end of the rails I3 extend upwardly over a roller 21, mounted between two side framing members Ib at the top of the machine, and thence horizontally forward where they wind around a roller 23 to which the ends of the chain sections are fastened. The roller 23 is mounted upon a shaft 29 extending between and rotatably mounted ln the side members Ib at the top of the machineframe I. The chain sections 25a supporting the rear end of the rails I3 extend upwardly and over the roller 28, to

which the ends of the chain sections are fastened. For turning gie roller 28 to take up and play out the chain se ions 25 and 25a, and consequently to raise and lower the rails I3 carrying the upper rowrotbrushes, a lever is keyed to an end of shaft 29 projecting laterally beyond the side member ia. Secured to the machine frame behind the lever 30 is a sector plate 3i provided with apertures 32 arranged at equidistantly spacedapart intervals in the form of an arc concentric with the shaft 29. The lever 30 is provided with an aperture 33 adapted to be moved into registry with any one of the apertures 32 in the sector plate and to receive a pin 34 for locking the lever in position when the proper adjustment between the brushes has been obtained. The apertures 32 on the-sector plate may serve as an indicator or the sector plate may be provided with a scale to afford a reading of the spacing between brushes.

Tension springs 64 extending between the side rails I3 and a fixed part of the frame on opposite sides of the machine yieldingly maintain the upper row of brushes in position.

Below the lower row of brushes 2 the frame is walled-in as indicated at 35 to form a closed chamber 36. chamber is connected a suction fan .31 for creating a downward draft through the brushes 2, 3 and 3 a to carry off the dirt, linters and other foreign matter removed from the fruit by the brushes. The fan may exhaust to the atmosphere or to a waste receptacle, as desired.

'I'he transfer conveyor belt 5 travels horizontally over rollers 3s and 39 rotatably supported at the end of the machine in a position such as to receive the fruit discharged from between the rows of brushes and out through the exit E at the end of the machine and carry it laterally in To. the sloping bottom of this.

asvassv the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2 ontothe grading conveyor belt 3. The grading belt is supporta ed so as to travel in a horizontal plane but is inclined transversely, as best shown in Fig. 2. so that the fruit, which is of generally spherical shape. such as peaches. apples. oranges. etc.. tends to roll oif of one side of the belt but being restrainedfrom so doing by the selector arms 1 located side-by-side along the lower side of the belt.

Each selector arm, as more clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5. comprises a pair of rollers42 and 43 between which travels a fiat selector belt 44. The roller 42 is rotatably mounted on the outer end of the arm while the other roller 43 is keyed to a shaft 43a extending freely through the inner end of the arm. The arm is composed of two sections, an outer section 45 and an inner section 43. For adjusting the length of the arm to maintain the belt 44 taut, the arm sections lie in at sideby-side contact and arm section 45 is provided with a Pair of spaced-apart flanges 41 forming a longitudinally-extending guideway for slidably embracing the arm section 46. The afm sections are fastened in longitudinally adjusted position by means of a headed stud 48 projecting through a longitudinal slot 49 in the arm section 45 and through a circular hole 5U in arm section 45. A clamping nut 5I is associated with the projecting screw-threaded end of the stud and is adapted to be screwed up into engagement with the arm section 46, thus iirmly clamping the arm sections between the head of the 'stud and the nut.

The arm section 46 is pivotally mounted on the shaft 43a rotatably supported in brackets 32 secured to and projecting from the machine frame I, as best indicated in Fig. 2. The pivotal axis of this arm section is coincident with the axis of shaft 43a which extends through the brackets and is common to all the selector arms stationed along the grading belt. Each bracket carries a. headed stud 53, which projectsthrough an arcuate-shaped slot 54 in the arm section 43 and this stud is provided upon its projecting threaded end with a clamping nut 55. 'I'he stud 53 and nut 55 operate similarly to the stud 43 and nut 5I, already described, to retain the arm section 46 at different angular positions of adjustment about the axis of shaft 43a. For supporting the outer end of the selector arm, there is provided a hanger 56 having its lower end pivotally connected at 56 to the'arm section 45 and its upper end provided with a longitudinal slot 51 adapted to pass the threaded end of a stud 53 xed to and projecting from the machine frame. A clamping nut 53 screwed onto the threaded end of the stud bears against a flat face of the hanger to secure the hanger in its position of vertical adjustment.

It will be apparent from the above that by releasing the clamping nuts 53 and 53 the selector arm may be swung upwardly or downwardly to change the spacing between the selector belt 44 and the grading belt 5, and upon tightening these nuts the arm is held in its adjusted position. The transfer belt 5, the grading belt 3 and the selector belts 44' may be driven in any suitable manner. In the present embodiment of the invention, the motor (not shown) which serves to operate the exhaust fan 31 is coupled to shaft 43a by a transmission rbelt 33. Since the rollers 43 of all the selector arms are keyed to shaft 43a, the transmission belt 33 simultaneously drives all the selector belts 44. Another transmission belt 3I winding between "a pulley 62 on the shaft 43a and a larger pulley 63 on the same shaft with the roller 39, serves to drive the transfer conveyor belt 6, the latter belt traveling at a slower rate than the selector belts.

In practice, the series of selector arms mounted side-by-side along the grading belt are independently ajdustable to select progressively larger sizes of fruit as the fruit is carried along on the grading belt. That is, when a peach, for example, comes opposite a selector arm in which the space between the arm and the grading belt is suflicient to allow the peach to pass, the latter is flipped by the rapidly traveling selector belt into the bin 8 associated with that particular arm and in this way the fruit is automatically sorted as to size.

In the operation of the fruit brushing and grading machine described above, the fruit is carried by the roller belt 4 to a position at the forward end of the machine just in advance of the brushes. The fruit discharged from the roller beltl drops down onto the inclined apron La from which it rolls into the space between the upper and lowerrows or brushes.

Because the two leading brushes 2 and 3a. of the lower and upper rows of brushes rotate toward each other, the fruit is drawn into the space between the two rows of brushes. 'I'he cross-bar 24 prevents the peach from being lifted out of the machine by the two oppositely rotating brushes 3a, and 3 of the upper row of brushes. The peach is impelled along by the lower row of brushes 2 through the upwardly inclined course between the rows of brushes and it is turned over and over by the brushes 3 of the upper row which rotate in a direction opposing the forward travel of the fruit. This subjects the peach to a thorough brushing operation, removing its fur and all dirt and other foreign matter adhering to its surface.

The peach is finally expelled from between i. the rows of brushes onto the transfer conveyor belt 5 which moves it onto the transversely sloping grading conveyor belt 6. The selector arms 'l having been individually adjusted as to height in a manner which has already been described prevents the peach from rolling off the belt until it reaches a selector arm which is adjusted a suicient distance above the grading belt to afford clearance for the passage of the peach. The traveling surface of the selector belt 44 then rolls the peach off the grading belt into a bin 8.

The machine is adapted to accommodate different kinds of fruit. For example, if the machine is to be used with oranges or grape fruit the only adjustments necessary are to increase the space between the rows of brushes by operating the lever 30 and to raise the selector arms l by resetting the clamping nuts 55 and 58. 'I'his adapts the machine to the larger normal size of this fruit.

It will be apparent that by mounting the leading brush 3a of the upper row of brushes so .that it turns counterclockwise, this brush will act cooperatively with the leading brush of the lower row of brushes 2 to facilitate the introduction of the fruit between the rows of brushes,

and that in the passage of the fruit up a slight incline between the pairs of brushes the fruit is brushed in opposite directions with a sort of scrubbing action. Because of the convenient means for adjusting the upper row of brushes toward and from the lower row, the desired spacing between the brushes for any of the kinds of fruit to be cleaned may be readily obtained so as not to injure the fruit, and especially fruit such as peaches which has a tender skin. In the case of peaches, the effect of the brushes'will be to remove the fur and impart a slight polish to the skin so as to render this fruit more attractive in appearance.

In angularly adjusting a selector arm 1 about its pivotal connection with the shaft 43a, 4Fthe outer end of the arm shifts its position in a. direction transversely of the belt. The means described above for extending and retracting the selector arms 1 is desirable in order to compensate for this shifting and insure that the end of the arm slightly overhangs the side margin of the belt.

It isto be understood that the fruit brushing and grading machine described above is exemplary of a preferred embodiment of my invention and that obviously various changes in the form, construction, arrangement and combination of the several parts may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of my in vention as defined in the following claims.

Iclaim:

l. In a fruit brushing machine, the combination with upper and. lower rows of rotary brushes arranged in spaced-apart generally parallel relation so as to provide an upwardly inclined course of travel for the fruit between the rows of brushes, and the brushes of one row being laterally offset with respect to the brushes of the other row, of sprockets associated with the ends of said brushes and disposed in a common plane, a transmission chain having runs thereof extending in opposed approximately parallel relation and tangent to and drivingly engaging said sprockets for rotating said brushes in the same direction, and the upper run of said chain having a portion thereof engaging the sprocket of the leading brush of the upper row of brushes so as to rotate said brush in a reverse direction to the other brushes.

2. A fruit brushing machine comprising upper and lower rows of rotary brushes arranged in spaced-apart generally parallel relation so as to provide an upwardly inclined course of travel for the fruit between the rows of brushes, the brushes of one row being laterally offset with respect to the brushes of the other row, sprockets associated with said brushes, the sprockets of the upper row of brushes being larger in diameter than the sprockets of the lower row, and a driving chain engaging said sprockets whereby to drive the upper and lower rows of brushes at different speeds, said chain being so constructed and arranged as to rotate the leading brush of the upper row of brushes in a counter-clockwise direction and the remainder of the brushes in a clockwise direction.

SANFORD DILLER. 

